Flying Horse Big Band

AN ARTIST’S FRAME FOR ORLANDO

 

Jeff Rupert, saxophonist and director of UCF’s Jazz Studies program, has composed a five-movement suite to premiere at Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, for UCF Celebrates the Arts, April 4, 2026, entitled An Artist’s Frame for Orlando.

 

Rupert moved from the NYC metro area to Orlando in 1995, where he had been performing for a living. His perception and experiences in Orlando over the past three decades formed the basis for this work, An Artist’s Frame for Orlando. Rupert said, “When I moved to Orlando, I didn’t really know what to expect. While my musical expectations were always high, I had no idea how I would navigate becoming a Floridian. Once I moved to Florida it became apparent to me that the cultural scene in Orlando had largely been flying under the radar for those living outside of Central Florida. Since moving here, the soul and essence of the people of Orlando have had an impact on me, and my young family. I’m in awe of some of the cultural milestones that have happened in Orlando and their influence on the generations since then. For instance, a fruitful local Avante-garde music scene (led at one time by saxophonist Sam Rivers, from Miles Davis’ band) has been percolating for in Orlando since the mid-nineties. I played in soul bands playing original music here in town and even wrote a dozen or so arrangements for my jazz quartet to perform with the Orlando Philharmonic. Many great musicians got their start in Orlando, and I can only imagine what it must have been like to hear teenaged Orlando resident Ray Charles performing in the mid twentieth century just a couple blocks from where the Dr. Phillips Center stands today, at the Quarterback Club.”

 

The Suite: Five Perspectives on the City Beautiful

The five movements of An Artist’s Frame for Orlando explore the historical milestones, natural beauty, and diverse communities that define the region:

 

Wells’ Built This opening movement aims to embody the progressive spirit of Dr. Wells, who in the mid-20th century created a hotel (now a museum, in downtown Orlando) for traveling black bands. While the creation of his hotel enabled bands to come and perform in Orlando (it was next to the South Street Casino, a music and dance hall), it essentially opened the floodgate for artistic and social exchange in Orlando which had not previously existed.

 

Sea Spell is the only movement in the suite that reflects on the flora and fauna of Orlando.

When I first flew into Orlando, I was taken by the many lakes I could see. These lakes, along with the intercoastal waterway, just a few miles to the east of Orlando have been a haven for me. Being on the water is something easily taken for granted in Central Florida, but since my relocation here I’ve enjoyed as much time as possible on the water.

 

Ditty for the City is a piece in 6/4 time. It is reflective of the unimaginable inertia exhibited in 1887 by black Americans (some former slaves) who organized to purchase land and incorporate one of the first towns in America governed and inhabited by African Americans.

Eatonville is a little over 1 square mile, just like my old hometown of Hoboken, NJ. Zora Neale Hurston was from Eatonville. Composer and saxophonist Sam Rivers and his wife, Beatrice left NYC for Eatonville. Sam was one of the first musicians I met when I moved to town. I was in his band for twenty years.

 

El Alma De Orlando is an offering to our Afro Cuban and Afro Caribbean residents of Orlando, as an acknowledgement of the impact of the Latin community on Central Florida. The basis for El Alma De Orlando is a beat known as an “Afro”, which is very important to the Latin community. It is a folkloric rhythm and much of the music in this style is sacred.

 

The Hot Spot is a musical dedication to all the great listening venues in Orlando, the Blue Bamboo, Timucua, Wills Pub, The Saphire Supper Club, Pilars, Judsons, and to venues from long ago, The Quarterback Club and the South Street Casino. As a performer, venues like these have been woven into the fabric of my life and yet it’s really the people that make all of these venues “the Hot Spot”.

 

About the Flying Horse Big Band

One of nine UCF jazz groups, the Flying Horse big band is fresh off a standout year. In January 2026, the band was one of only 10 university ensembles nationwide invited by

Wynton Marsalis to compete in the National Collegiate Jazz Championship at Lincoln Center, where several members earned individual honors for piano, saxophone, and arrangements.

 

Academic Artistry

Known for their professional-grade precision, the group has released nine studio albums on Flying Horse Records, several of which have reached the #1 spot on national jazz charts. Their most recent release, Unbridled, features a collaboration with jazz legend George Garzone.

 

About Jeff Rupert

Jeff Rupert is a Pegasus Professor, Endowed Trustee Chair, and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Central Florida. With over 100 compositions to his credit and a career spent performing with jazz legends, he also leads his own quartet, which has an upcoming release due this spring.

 

About the Jeffrey Mr. Rupert Jazz Studies Excellence Fund
Your gift to the fund will support the creation of works for performance and instruction, fees to conduct master classes, performances by outside artists, travel to performances, educational and recording opportunities, and musical instruments and related equipment. Gifts will also provide scholarship and financial awards related to jazz studies at UCF.

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Thank You to Our Supporters

Thank You to Our Festival Partners

• Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
• National Young Composers Challenge
• Orlando Family Stage
• Orlando Shakes
• Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
• UCF Alumni
• UCF College of Health Professions and Sciences
• UCF School of Modeling, Simulation and Training